Wait.
What a complete mess.
He had performed tasks across so many worlds and encountered all kinds of beauties and handsome men. How could such an absurd thought suddenly pop into his head?
Ji Yunzhao rubbed his face and opened a cup of instant noodles expressionlessly.
How had he been infected by that little idiot of a system? Yan Fuliang was the male lead, after all. Was he someone to be trifled with or seduced so casually? Wouldn’t that completely warp the original story’s romantic plotline?
Though, did the original work even have a romantic plotline?
Ji Yunzhao tried hard to recall the story details he had read before.
It truly barely mentioned Yan Fuliang having any particularly intimate contact with any female or male cultivator.
Forget it, it was not important. In any case, he came here to help Yan Fuliang build his career. Furthermore, his main identity was a persona that could not possibly accompany the youth until the grand finale, so any entanglement beyond master-disciple affection was entirely unnecessary.
The Beggar’s Chicken needed to stew for a while before it could be eaten, so Ji Yunzhao first bought two cup noodles from the system mall.
The seafood flavor went to Yan Fuliang, and the spicy beef flavor was for himself – a bit of spice to clear his mind.
As for why noodles that were clearly not local products of the cultivation world would appear in his hands… fortunately, Yan Fuliang seemed to have grown accustomed to the strange things he frequently produced and did not ask a single question.
Ji Yunzhao actually could not handle spicy food very well. When he bought instant noodles from the system mall in the past, he had never bought a spicy flavor.
Let alone the spicy beef flavor he held in his hands at this moment; he had never even bought the mildly spicy curry flavor.
The plan was beautiful, but the reality was the moment Ji Yunzhao finished steeping the noodles and took his first bite, his face instantly flushed red.
An unbearable spiciness suddenly spread from the tip of his tongue, heat surged uncontrollably up his cheeks, and steam seemed to be billowing from the top of his head.
He was just a tiny fraction away from being blasted into the sky by the spice.
Ji Yunzhao set down the cup noodles with a sharp clatter and rushed into the kitchen while hissing and panting frantically for air.
By the time Yan Fuliang reacted, Ji Yunzhao had already buried his head into the kitchen water vat, drinking down a bellyful of water with deep gulps.
Yan Fuliang reached out to check the outer wall of the water vat – sure enough, it had already been turned into a vat of ice water by spiritual energy.
With a hint of helplessness, he called out, “Senior,” intending to pull the soaking-wet youth out. However, the moment he touched Ji Yunzhao’s hand, he saw the youth fling it away with an intense reaction.
The brushed-off hand froze rigidly in midair.
Gulp.
Ji Yunzhao forced down another massive mouthful of ice water before finally lifting his head.
Water droplets rolled continuously down his face, and his thick, long eyelashes were also thoroughly soaked, making it somewhat difficult to open his eyes.
It happened to match the fact that Ji Yunzhao did not really want to open them right now anyway.
The word “seduce” kept bouncing back and forth in his mind like a dense wall of bullet commentary. Its sense of presence was entirely too strong, so strong that he had subconsciously avoided Yan Fuliang’s touch.
Curse it all, this was entirely the little idiot’s fault for talking about such nonsense out of nowhere.
He casually wiped his dripping face, speaking as if nothing had happened, “Why did you follow me in? I thought some creature was touching me, which gave me quite a fright.”
“Seeing Senior drink water so hastily, I was worried you would choke,” Yan Fuliang said with lowered eyes, taking a step back. “Since Senior is fine, then Junior will step out first.”
Ji Yunzhao: “…”
If he heard correctly, this seemed to be the very first time Yan Fuliang referred to himself as “Junior”.
Watching the youth’s departing silhouette, Ji Yunzhao’s mood became complicated for a moment.
Before he could even untangle the mess in his own head, it seemed he had to coax a kid first?
He knocked on the system: [Ah Tong, where are you running wild?]
System: [I’m catching butterflies in the courtyard, what’s up?]
[Go check where our retirement insurance has run off to,] Ji Yunzhao said. [The kid seems to be angry.]
The system could not suppress its gossiping heart, asking curiously: [Why is the male lead angry?]
It would have been fine if the system hadn’t asked, but asking only made Ji Yunzhao annoyed. He was too lazy to pay attention to it and merely said: [Once the Beggar’s Chicken is stewed through, I’ll give you a chicken wing.]
[Alright, Host! I’ll go right now!]
Not long after, the system returned from scouting the enemy situation.
It followed Ji Yunzhao from the kitchen to the side of the small dirt mound where the Beggar’s Chicken was buried, “The male lead is right beside the cold spring on the back mountain.”
Ji Yunzhao: “What did he run to the back mountain for? Is he so angry at me that he needs to soak in cold water to cool his temper?”
“Not at all. He is practicing his sword,” the system recalled the scene it had witnessed on the back mountain. “His sword wind is fierce and sharp, thoroughly inheriting your true teachings, Host. It’s just a bit costly on the bamboo trees.”
Ji Yunzhao: “…”
The little young master was probably hacking at the bamboo as if the trees were him.
Speaking of which, this was his very first time taking on the job of raising a child, so he lacked experience.
He possessed a casual and undisciplined nature himself, raising everything via free-range methods, the same applied to the system. In raising a disciple, it was already quite good that he hadn’t managed to raise him to death.
Ji Yunzhao let out a sigh, “I’ll go take a look.”
There was a whole chicken stewing inside that small dirt mound; he couldn’t possibly eat it all by himself.
Going empty-handed to coax someone was bad form, so he returned to the kitchen and muddled together a cup of orange juice.
The presentation was somewhat poor; the fruit pulp did not look as though it had been peeled out nicely, but rather resembled something that had been pummeled by a sledgehammer.
There was no helping it since the system mall did not sell beverages, so he could only make do.
“Should I add some ice cubes inside?” Ji Yunzhao muttered to himself while standing before the table. Not only did he add ice cubes, but he also threw in the pulp of an entire additional orange.
The kitchen door opened with a creak. Thinking it was the system coming over to secure a share of the juice, he did not even turn his head as he said, “Go play somewhere else. This is specially made for our retirement insurance.”
“Retirement insurance?”
Yan Fuliang was only seventeen years old, yet his vocal range leaned toward the lower side. At times, it inevitably lost a bit of a youthful quality when heard, though it was not as cold and solemn as an adult’s voice.
Ji Yunzhao: “!”
How had Yan Fuliang returned?!
Ji Yunzhao said drily, “Well, you are my disciple, so of course you have to be responsible for taking care of my retirement. Oh, let’s not talk about that. Are you tired from practicing your sword? This was just made, want a taste?”
As Ji Yunzhao spoke, he hurriedly stepped forward holding the orange juice, making a motion to feed him.
Yan Fuliang cast a glance at it but did not drink.
“Hm?”
Ji Yunzhao prodded it forward a bit more, allowing the chilled rim of the cup to touch the thin lips.
Yan Fuliang remained completely unmoved. After a brief standoff, Ji Yunzhao found it somewhat amusing and said, “What is it? Are you still angry?”
The youth’s voice sounded somewhat tight, “I am not angry.”
Ji Yunzhao studied his expression, his gaze drifting gently to the sharply defined jawline.
He claimed he wasn’t angry, yet his teeth were clenched.
“Then, give Master a bit of face?” Ji Yunzhao said. “It’s drinkable, not poisonous.”
However, the moment he finished speaking, he thought of his own culinary skills… it truly did not seem worthy of trust.
“It really isn’t poisonous, it’s drinkable.”
Yan Fuliang’s tightly closed lips moved ever so slightly. Just as he was about to say something, the cup was moved away.
He watched as Ji Yunzhao lowered his head and took a small sip.
This cup…
His heart suddenly gave a heavy thud.
Yan Fuliang lowered his gaze imperceptibly. The hand hanging at his side trembled slightly as he quietly placed it over his heart.
Ji Yunzhao was entirely focused on coaxing the person out of his mood and no longer wanted to obsess over the matter of “seducing”. For a moment, he failed to notice anything inappropriate about his own actions, nor did he detect Yan Fuliang’s reaction.
It actually tasted quite good, just a little sour.
There was no need to tell the brooding kid about this point.
Orange juice being a bit sour was perfectly normal.
“Here, look, it’s truly drinkable.”
“Senior,” Yan Fuliang interrupted him, “I have already drunk water just now.”
After saying this, without waiting for Ji Yunzhao’s reaction, he turned around and left once more.
“Eh?”
Yan Fuliang walked even more hurriedly this time than the last, leaving Ji Yunzhao no time to call out to him.
Hadn’t his cheap disciple been practicing his sword on the back mountain the entire time? When had he come to the kitchen to drink water?
Ji Yunzhao blinked.
Oh dear, this temper was rather substantial. Even bringing out orange juice made by his own hands couldn’t coax him out of it.